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readingpicnic's review against another edition
4.5
I've had to sit with this book for a few days after finishing it so that I could try to do it justice in a review. The first half of the book centers around the subject of interest in the latter half of the book, the Palestinian girl who was gang-r*ped by Israeli soldiers and then murdered. The main character in the latter half of the book, a journalist, becomes interested in the girl's story after realizing that her death date was exactly 25 years before the MC's birth date, which caught her eye and generated a need to know more about this girl. The two parts of the book connect in pieces that the MC doesn't even realize because she doesn't have access to the information from the first half of the book, and it's essentially lost knowledge/history. She wishes to feel some connection to the girl who died while not realizing that some of her actions and sensory experiences are replicating what the girl went through, and this strong desire for connection coupled with the not knowing the connections do exist really devastated me. Some examples I wrote down were the dog howling/barking haunting the MC, and the dog also seemed to be a ghost at one point on page 94? There's also a scene on page 92 where the MC spills gasoline on herself after saying that she wishes she could stay in the area longer to get a clue as to what the girl endured, even though her reeking of gasoline for the remainder of the book is part of what the girl endured at the hands of the soldiers. In the first half of the book, the parts where the main soldier in charge was frantically crushing every bug in his room every night and was losing his mind a bit also fucked me up a lot. The imagery of barriers, both physical and metaphorical was very powerful in this book, especially with the way the MC worried over them in every interaction. One quote that really stuck out to me was "By the way, I hope I didn't cause any awkwardness when I mentioned the incident with the soldier, or the checkpoint, or when I reveal that we are living under occupation here" (56). I saw a TikTok explaining greenwashing before reading this book, and I'm really glad that I went into it with that context since I saw it come up again and again with mentions of Canada Park and Israeli soldiers saying that they were going to revitalize the land because Palestinians didn't know/didn't care to take care of it (not fucking true btw).
The last few pages of the book felt so aimless and wandering as the MC realizes that she truly cannot find the lost history of the girl and that her journey cannot have a satisfying ending because of all the barriers that prevent her from this knowledge. The ending of the book was shocking, but also not shocking due to the violence of this book and the almost expected violence by Israeli soldiers. The only part of this book that I wasn't a huge fan of was how it's written with every single action spelled out if that makes sense. Like, if a character got out of a vehicle, then every single part of that action was detailed from start to finish. I'm sure there's a reason for this method of storytelling, but maybe I can't see what it is in relation to the overarching themes of the book right now. Overall, this is such a necessary read.
Also, side note, I saw that someone added this to the Autistic Reads Challenge, and I agree that I was contemplating while reading this whether the main character of the second half was autistic and/or neurodivergent due to her thought processes, but I wasn't sure whether that was intentional on the author's part. I hesitate because she may process the world in these ways and think in these ways due to trauma and the circumstances in which she lives under occupation and has to be on high alert and think through interactions carefully, but acquired neurodivergence and disabilities due to trauma are valid, so I'm on the edge with this.
The last few pages of the book felt so aimless and wandering as the MC realizes that she truly cannot find the lost history of the girl and that her journey cannot have a satisfying ending because of all the barriers that prevent her from this knowledge. The ending of the book was shocking, but also not shocking due to the violence of this book and the almost expected violence by Israeli soldiers. The only part of this book that I wasn't a huge fan of was how it's written with every single action spelled out if that makes sense. Like, if a character got out of a vehicle, then every single part of that action was detailed from start to finish. I'm sure there's a reason for this method of storytelling, but maybe I can't see what it is in relation to the overarching themes of the book right now. Overall, this is such a necessary read.
Also, side note, I saw that someone added this to the Autistic Reads Challenge, and I agree that I was contemplating while reading this whether the main character of the second half was autistic and/or neurodivergent due to her thought processes, but I wasn't sure whether that was intentional on the author's part. I hesitate because she may process the world in these ways and think in these ways due to trauma and the circumstances in which she lives under occupation and has to be on high alert and think through interactions carefully, but acquired neurodivergence and disabilities due to trauma are valid, so I'm on the edge with this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, War, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, and Torture
stargirl7954's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Panic attacks/disorders
maxgdy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Islamophobia, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Hate crime, Violence, Genocide, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Rape, Child death, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
mrscorytee's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Rape
churglem's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Death, Sexual violence, War, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
brynalexa's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The first part was extremely emotional to read. Itβs very hard to put yourself into a camp of bigoted colonizers for 50 pages. The second part was two parts lovely and one part dread. It came together in the end. Very moving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Rape, Colonisation, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Racism, Kidnapping, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Gun violence, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Islamophobia
Minor: Alcohol and Genocide
teaselkie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, War, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
maddiereadswords's review
4.5
A book that is equal parts heavy and powerful. Check the trigger warnings before reading, but god is it worth a read if you can handle it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, War, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Murder, Racism, and Rape
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i found the clinical tone of the first part challenging, in contrast to the extreme readability of the second part with its masterful choice of narrator. the motifs seemed sparse, even for a novella, and a little heavy-handed, especially in the first part. but overall it was a worthwhile, important, haunting read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Sexual assault, War, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Animal death, and Torture
melsage1823's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Disclaimer: I am not Palestinian please check out own voices reviews to get a qualified in depth opinion on the book.
An incredibly heartbreaking story that shows that reality in living under occupation and colonlism.
This story as good as it was is probably one I'll never be able to pick up again due to how powerful and raw it was. Despite being short and a fictional story Minor Detail was able to perfectly help understand the brutal reality and truths of the Israeli occupation and how much culture and cities have been lost thanks to it. There were certain points I struggled to keep the book open due to how powerful Shibi described the emotions of the woman wanting to discover the little girls story.
I also found it very clever that the two half's of the story were opposite. We got to follow the mind of the oppressor and then near present day the oppressed. In a clever duality way through this genius writing we got to see the damage of the oppressors mindset. This novel cleverly through the contrasting povs allows us to not only understand the mindset drilled into Israeli soldiers but also how colonisation develops over time. Its also impressive how Shibli manages to do all this in such a short amount of pages.
It was brilliant and I do not regret despite its heavy topics picking it up.
There's so much I liked about the novel but before I get onto the positives I will have to get into the one negative that knocked half a star off for me.
This book was really impressive with how much it managed to do in such a short amount of pages but I really wish that it was at least 50 pages or 100 pages longer. I don't mean it out of any disrespect but I wish we had got to know the two pov characters we followed better and that instead of rushing straight into the soldiers pov, we actually got a prologue fron the woman we follow for the second half of the story. It would have made an already great novel even better in my opinion. Also as inventive as the format of the novel was it just wasn't for me. As a Neurodivergent reader it would have been easier to absorb if the part 1, part 2 split was still kept but it also had chapters as well. This book is such an important read that it feels a bit disappointing that it might put off Neurodivergent folk who struggle with reading.
That though is my only criticism, I definitely find this novel an essential read so much that despite it being a fiction story it educates you a lot and clears up what you think you might know about the Israeli occupation. There's so many thinks I wish I could highlight but these are just a few.
I've mentioned in before but I loved the way the two contrasting povs were done. When I first realised we were following the pov of a soldier I groaned and rolled my eyes because I was worried he'd be painted in a sympathetic light but he wasn't. The Soldier is completely unlikeable and irredeemable which gets to show you how brutal Israeli soldiers are in real life. He suffers, causes suffering but you don't feel an once of sympathy for him. You don't route for any of his men either. It's clever in a way that we see the reasons for what the soldiers done especially during the really brutal bits. It also helps us route for the character we follow during the second half of the book who is trying to discover what happened and tell the girls story.
Another thing is the fact that the story isn't sugar coated. Too often media likes to censor or soften the impact of war and colonlism but Minor Detail doesn't shy from the brutalities of the occupation from naming the cities before they were occupied and showing how restricted Palestinians are. All the occupation has gotten even worse you can see how long this issue has gone on and that it was still bad during the time this novel was published. The novel doesn't shy away from it and is a perfect feminist piece showing how each generation of women + girls have had to survive under Israeli control. It shows how women + girls are used and abused as weapons of war. This book will leave you reflective and reeling over the women of Palestinian have had to go through. If you want to be an intersectional feminist this is definitely the book to be picking up.
Finally the language. As a writer myself I love when bold and vivid language is used and given the focus of the novel, Minor Detail uses language really well. Shibli brings war to life in a really morbidly beautiful way that makes your eyes glued to the page. The powerful adjectives and words make you really reflective about the situation in Palestinian and how morally corrupt it is. The language due to how unique and fresh it feels really helps immerse you and show what an occupated Palestinian looks like in the past as well as modern day. A lot of contrasting and distinct language is used to differentiate from both the soldier and journalists povs which I find really clever.
Overall its a really heartbreaking but important read that is essential in helping under what the women of Palestinian have had to face and what its like living under occupation. It's a very interesting fiction book that was made to help people understand the true reality of whats going on.
π΅πΈπ΅πΈπ΅πΈ
An incredibly heartbreaking story that shows that reality in living under occupation and colonlism.
This story as good as it was is probably one I'll never be able to pick up again due to how powerful and raw it was. Despite being short and a fictional story Minor Detail was able to perfectly help understand the brutal reality and truths of the Israeli occupation and how much culture and cities have been lost thanks to it. There were certain points I struggled to keep the book open due to how powerful Shibi described the emotions of the woman wanting to discover the little girls story.
I also found it very clever that the two half's of the story were opposite. We got to follow the mind of the oppressor and then near present day the oppressed. In a clever duality way through this genius writing we got to see the damage of the oppressors mindset. This novel cleverly through the contrasting povs allows us to not only understand the mindset drilled into Israeli soldiers but also how colonisation develops over time. Its also impressive how Shibli manages to do all this in such a short amount of pages.
It was brilliant and I do not regret despite its heavy topics picking it up.
There's so much I liked about the novel but before I get onto the positives I will have to get into the one negative that knocked half a star off for me.
This book was really impressive with how much it managed to do in such a short amount of pages but I really wish that it was at least 50 pages or 100 pages longer. I don't mean it out of any disrespect but I wish we had got to know the two pov characters we followed better and that instead of rushing straight into the soldiers pov, we actually got a prologue fron the woman we follow for the second half of the story. It would have made an already great novel even better in my opinion. Also as inventive as the format of the novel was it just wasn't for me. As a Neurodivergent reader it would have been easier to absorb if the part 1, part 2 split was still kept but it also had chapters as well. This book is such an important read that it feels a bit disappointing that it might put off Neurodivergent folk who struggle with reading.
That though is my only criticism, I definitely find this novel an essential read so much that despite it being a fiction story it educates you a lot and clears up what you think you might know about the Israeli occupation. There's so many thinks I wish I could highlight but these are just a few.
I've mentioned in before but I loved the way the two contrasting povs were done. When I first realised we were following the pov of a soldier I groaned and rolled my eyes because I was worried he'd be painted in a sympathetic light but he wasn't. The Soldier is completely unlikeable and irredeemable which gets to show you how brutal Israeli soldiers are in real life. He suffers, causes suffering but you don't feel an once of sympathy for him. You don't route for any of his men either. It's clever in a way that we see the reasons for what the soldiers done especially during the really brutal bits. It also helps us route for the character we follow during the second half of the book who is trying to discover what happened and tell the girls story.
Another thing is the fact that the story isn't sugar coated. Too often media likes to censor or soften the impact of war and colonlism but Minor Detail doesn't shy from the brutalities of the occupation from naming the cities before they were occupied and showing how restricted Palestinians are. All the occupation has gotten even worse you can see how long this issue has gone on and that it was still bad during the time this novel was published. The novel doesn't shy away from it and is a perfect feminist piece showing how each generation of women + girls have had to survive under Israeli control. It shows how women + girls are used and abused as weapons of war. This book will leave you reflective and reeling over the women of Palestinian have had to go through. If you want to be an intersectional feminist this is definitely the book to be picking up.
Finally the language. As a writer myself I love when bold and vivid language is used and given the focus of the novel, Minor Detail uses language really well. Shibli brings war to life in a really morbidly beautiful way that makes your eyes glued to the page. The powerful adjectives and words make you really reflective about the situation in Palestinian and how morally corrupt it is. The language due to how unique and fresh it feels really helps immerse you and show what an occupated Palestinian looks like in the past as well as modern day. A lot of contrasting and distinct language is used to differentiate from both the soldier and journalists povs which I find really clever.
Overall its a really heartbreaking but important read that is essential in helping under what the women of Palestinian have had to face and what its like living under occupation. It's a very interesting fiction book that was made to help people understand the true reality of whats going on.
π΅πΈπ΅πΈπ΅πΈ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia and Racism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Rape